keep the marathon? upgrade to frontier/nautaulis?

[Jacksmommy2b]

On my phone so I hope it isn't too choppy!

J is 5, but really tiny. Like still hasn't hit 40 lbs and has plenty of space to grow in his marathon.

I have him in a marathon with a good few years on it, but when the newbie gets here I want to move him to the third row and am debating updating his seat. I like the idea of a seat that sits lower in the third row and considering he'll be 6 and in K by then I thought he might really dig the idea of a 'big boy' seat.

So what to do? There is nothing wrong with the marathon and he has no problem getting in and out on his own. I think he'll be set no matter what I stick back there. Should I bother buying a new seat? Given his specs, is it worth the extra $ for a britax? (No one ever falls asleep in the car so the bigger wings aren't a big selling point) I have no interest in an unharnessed booster.

Wwyd?

[smiles33]

How tall is he? My 5.5 year old sometimes jokingly climbs into DD2's Blvd but her head hits the ceiling of my sedan. Sounds like you don't have that problem in at least one car, but does he ever ride in other cars?

Also, do you think he will be teased if classmates see him climbing into a Marathon? Even now, DD1 asks why she can't sit in a backless booster like all her friends, and she is in a Frontier, which looks more like a booster than a Marathon or Blvd.

I don't have personal experience with the Nautilus, but love our Frontier 85 (still in harness mode). Good luck deciding!

[MommyAllison]

My DD1 is still in her Marathon too. She is 6 years old, but only 41lb and her shoulders are still just below the top slots. Her MA is expiring next month though, so she'll be switching into the spare Nautilus (harnessed) we have at that point. I'm really glad we got the full 6 years out of the MA, and she hasn't had an issue with her seat. FWIW, we had a minivan for about 6 months last winter, and put DD1's Nautilus in the third row, and it was very tall and difficult to see over. This was an old minivan, and obviously each model is designed differently, but fwiw, that was our experience.

[new_mommy25]

DD sits in a boulevard in my Corolla and a True Fit in the van. No fit issues and she prefers the five point harness because she can strap herself in. I haven't found that the seat is too high. I would keep your DS in his seat unt he can outgrow it, unless you read want to switch.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I kept DD in hers until she outgrew it. I was antsy to switch but thought that the longer I could wait, the newer our Frontier would be. And of course, as soon as we switched her, there were complaints of not being able to buckle the new seat. And with 2 other guys to buckle and a car pickup line, I was glad she finally got the hand strength to buckle herself.

It was a pain this week when we would have usually stuck a radian in between 2 MAs for a playdate for DS1, but instead, I had to move DC in the middle row out on belts to install a Parkway in the tiny middle seat. Then I had to buckle it myself each time DD got in because it was too hard to reach. I'd wait.

[Joolsplus2]

When's baby due? What car? Drive to school or bus?

[mom2binsd]

My 5 year old loves his Frontier, I think it would be nice to have him sitting lower in the 3rd row. Maybe make it part of his Kindy start up...new backpack/new seat. It will look much more like a big boy seat, my DS calls it his booster seat and the cup holders are great.

You could have the MA as an extra seat/use for baby- are you going to use a bucket first-the MA doesn't always fit newborns very well.

[Jacksmommy2b]

When's baby due? What car? Drive to school or bus?

Baby is due in Sept so he'll be on his way to 6.5. We drive a new Mazda 5 and he'll probably take the bus.

We have a keyfit for the squish and my kids last at least a year before moving to the marathon. We also have an '09 roundabout we use as a spare that I could use for the baby, but I doubt he would still be in a marathon at 7.

[legaleagle]

Frontier fits great in the 3rd row of a mazda5, as does the recaro prosport - here's a review with pics (http://carseatblog.com/13683/it-puts-the-mini-back-into-the-minivan-the-mazda-5-kids-carseats-safety-review/) (toward the bottom). My oldest will be riding in a frontier in the 3rd row in a couple months since #3 is due in May.

[Joolsplus2]

The Frontier is *Amazing* in the third row of the 5. Like a built-in seat, it's so rock solid. If your trunk isn't too full you could fold down the other seat and let him scramble in the back door, or fold down the passenger side middle seat and put the two older kids in the third row and the baby behind the driver. I've even seen RF toddlers in the third row, loaded from the back. My dd has some friends who are still harnessed in their MA's, it's pretty easy to keep harnessing when you aren't dealing with tons of pickups and dropoffs and 'everyone else' is on the bus anyway....have you tried the MA back there yet?
Hmmm...I also know the Nautilus makes a good booster in the third row of that car, not sure about installing it, never heard it didn't work, anyway.
Might be another new combo seat out by the time you really have to make the decision, but sometimes the FR is only $170 with coupons, so not a huge budget buster, considering how long you can use it for all three kids.